Growth and green can mix

More than 40 years ago, millions of people came together in common purpose to mark the first Earth Day — an event born out of a simple but important idea, that we have a collective obligation to protect and preserve for future generations those things that we all share — our air, water and land.

It was also an idea that historically had broad support across the political spectrum. President Theodore Roosevelt — one of America’s early conservationists — established 18 national monuments, including the Grand Canyon. President Richard M. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. And two decades later, President George H.W. Bush secured bipartisan passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, paving the way for action to reduce toxic air pollution in the United States.

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But times have changed. Today, in a stark departure from this bipartisan history, some in Congress have been relentless in their efforts to roll back critical environmental standards that for decades have protected the air our children breathe and the water our families drink. A recent report found that more than one in five of the legislative roll-call votes taken in the House last year were designed to unravel environmental standards. In the first session of this 112th Congress alone, the House averaged more than one anti-environmental vote for each day it was in session.

In this pursuit, opponents of smart steps that protect public health and the environment are dusting off an old, misleading strategy — one that paints economic growth and environmental protection as opposing goals.

But time and again, history has proved this to be a false choice.

President Barack Obama believes American families should never be asked to choose between the health of their members and the health of the economy. They deserve both. And we know from experience that a strong economy and strong environmental safeguards can go hand in hand.

The administration’s approach to energy underscores the effectiveness of that balance, increasing public health protections while expanding production of a range of domestic energy sources as part of an all-of-the-above approach.

Thanks to the president’s leadership, we are on track to double energy generated from renewable sources like wind and solar in his first term, creating jobs and ensuring America is not ceding this industry to China and other countries. At the same time, domestic oil production is at an eight-year high. We are producing more natural gas than anytime in history. And we provided funding for the first nuclear power plant in 30 years.

The administration’s fuel economy standards are another important example of taking steps that increase our energy security, protect the pocketbooks of American families, while also reducing harmful emissions. Taken together, the standards we have proposed span model years 2011 to 2025 and represent the first meaningful update in more than three decades. Under the final program, average fuel efficiency is expected to nearly double, reaching an average performance equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.